Firedrop, New Docs, easy to use python blog software...

[Ron Stephens]

I have posted to my blog at http://www.awaretek.com/weblog/ a new Mini
How-To set of docs, written to walk a new user through the
installation, set up and use of Hans Nowak's open source blog
software, firedrop2, which is of course written in Python.

OK, I know there is a lot of blog software out there written in
Python, but after a little more than one month of using it, I think
Firedrop can compete on ease of use, ease of learning, and intuitive,
fun use.

I know that I have put an awful lot of thought and work into writing
the Mini How-To with a new user in mind. I hope it is of use to
someone...although it is my first effort at wrting "docs", I know how
easy it is for a brainless, clueless newbie to get confused (being
myself the prototypical BCN), so I put some thought into how to write
in what I hope is a very understandable manner.

It would be great if someone could let me know how I did..even its to
say that I failed miserably ;-)))

Ron Stephens

 

[Paul Rubin]

OK, I know there is a lot of blog software out there written in
Python, but after a little more than one month of using it, I think
Firedrop can compete on ease of use, ease of learning, and intuitive,
fun use.

Why on earth does this need wxPython? Why can't it just use a web
front end?

 

[Chris Stiles]

Why on earth does this need wxPython? Why can't it just use a web
front end?

Because it's a 'client side' based piece of blog software. That is to say the
intelligence is on the client end, and it publishes via FTP (and probably
others) to a website which has nothing more running on in than a normal web
server.

 

[Ron Stephens]

Why on earth does this need wxPython? Why can't it just use a web
front end?

Hmm, um, well, yes, now that you mention it, I guess it could just use
a web browser as a front end. After all, content produced by Firedrop
is meant to be viewed on the web after all, and if a web browser were
the front end (instead of wxPython) then one could use any device with
a browser (such as my Zaurus PDA, which runs Opera) to produce blog
posts or other content.

So you got me thinking about it, and at the risk of further displaying
my ignorance, I came up with three possible advantages to using
wxPython:

1. Perhaps wxPython offers a bigger set of widgets to work with than
is available using just a browser with html, allowing a better user
experience, during the content creation and management activity (as
opposed to when the content is being viewed on the web). Actually, it
is theoretically possible that one could use the ArticleCollection
aspect of Firedrop for content that is not meant to be viewed on the
web, so that the content might need graphical capabilities beyond
those in web browsers; but I don't think this a major factor.

2. Using wxPython, along with wax, may be just plain easier (and more
enjoyable ) to program with. One of the main goals of the firedrop
project, as I understand it, is to be easy and fun to extend using
Python, wxPython, and wax. Perhaps this combination gives a more
Pythonic overall programming experience than using only Python and a
web browser front end.

3. As a learning exercise, if one wants to improve one's ability to
program in wxPython, extending and adding features to Firedrop may be
worth while beyond its sheer utilitarian value, for which a web
browser front end might be in some ways preferable.

I stand ready to be corrected on any or all of the above speculations.
I am a clueless newbie after all, but your post did prompt me to
think, so I offer my response.

Maybe Hans will weigh in on this subject...

Also, I think Hans has an article on Firedrop (and Kaa, an earlier,
similar project of his using Tkinter instead of wxPython) in an
upcoming issue of Pyzine.

Ron Stephens